Living Doesn't Mean Winning: The 17th Hunger Games
by ilovenutella99
Summary: A maze full of horror. Death around every corner. Madness lurking in the shadows. Whispering through the walls. 24 are reaped, forced to brave the horror. 23 will fall. Only one will make it out, out of the horror that will plague their nightmares. But does Living really mean Winning? The 17th Hunger Games have begun and may the odds be ever in your favor...
1. The Madness Begins

Somewhere deep in the Capitol, far away from the parties, and the crazy fashion sense, Gamemaker Calixto Pyle is overly excited. He's staring down at the plans for this year's Games, an evil grin stretching across his face as he examines each and every inch of the arena, the arena where twenty-three children will die.

Because of last year's failure with the desert, and because of the Head Gamemakers strange disappearance, this arena had to be perfect. If not, there would be consequences.

Gamemaker Pyle grabs the folder with most of the arena information in it and goes down the winding halls and tumbling staircases to get to his next meeting with the President, the new one, who was elected two weeks ago. He's a young fellow, only eighteen, but thirsts for power.

Pyle shrugs it off; most presidents are power-thirsty. It's only natural for them to feel that way. Continuing down the winding staircases, Pyle feels himself become more and more excited, his brain itching to start explaining the wonder of the arena.

"How nice of you to join me, Mr. Pyle." The cold drawling voice of President Snow states, once Pyle is in the room.

"Nice to be here, Mr. President." He sets down the folder and sets up the projector where he will explain parts of the arena.

"Well get to it, I have places to go and people to see."

"Yessir, Mr. Snow. I'll get right too it." Then, he begins. He becomes more and more excited as he explains each and every aspect, from the tiniest little danger, to the largest monument stretching to the skies.

"See, sir, when the tributes start, they will be above ground, for the Cornucopia. Then, after the bloodbath insures, they will be forced underground, as the above ground will have no sign of any water, food nor shelter. Underground, there is a giant maze, full of dangers and things to survive. Certain areas will give them supplies, others mean certain death."

"So what you're telling me, is that the entire arena is a labyrinth?"

"Yessir." This is it. The moment that makes or breaks his Career.

"I like it. Nice and evil."

Inside, Pyle's heart swells. The President likes his idea. That's good. "Also underground, will be mechanisms, designed to make said tribute go insane." An evil grin appears on the President's face upon hearing these words.

There's a pause, as Pyle flips through the rest of the pictures, revealing tall, walls, each a different material, and several passageways, some leading to safety, some to instant death. This arena is designed to confuse the tributes, making them think that they are able to find their way out, only to realize they've been going the wrong way the entire time.

"How are they supposed to get underground?" The president asks, stopping Pyle.

"Ah. Glad you asked me that. There will be little tunnels, used as shelter for the first night, I'm assuming, but as the tributes sleep, the walls will close up, leaving them only one option: to go underground."

The President is silent for a moment. "Show me the tribute list."

**District 1 (Luxury)**

M: Jay Himilton (18)

F: Amythest "Amy" Hart (17)

**District 2 (Masonry)**

M: Monroe Palace (18)

F: Mercedes Cooper (16)

**District 3 (Technology)**

M: Fred Blackwell (17)

F: Erica Blackwell (15)

**District 4 (Fishing)**

M: Destin Rios (13)

F: Miryam "Meri" Irvin (18)

**District 5 (Power)**

M: Bailey Shiancoe (14)

F: Inessa Sue "Nessie" Millioni (14)

**District 6 (Transportation)**

M: Brandt Grissom (17)

F: Elysia Cortez (14)

**District 7 (Lumber)**

M:

F: Tanberry Woods (16)

**District 8 (Textiles)**

M: Jesse "Jess" Weft (17)

F: Aquela Garger (16)

**District 9 (Grain)**

M: Sam Anderson (15)

F: Sarah Reedman (15)

**District 10 (Livestock)**

M: Grey Hawkins (15)

F: Rhea Blakemore (15)

**District 11 (Agriculture)**

M: Jordan Everdeen (18)

F: Jessica "Jess" Jones (18)

**District 12 (Mining)**

M: Zabe Olivers (12)

F: Loreali Elm (15)

A smile comes across the president's face.

He wonders if the tributes will be able to survive in a giant labyrinth, designed for them to lose their minds.

_**A/N: Okay! Now that you've read that, I have some ground rules. 1.) You MUST send me the tribute through PM. I will not accept your tribute through review. 2.) Please, don't make any Katniss's. The idea is so overdone. But, if your tribute has a very, very good reason for volunteering, so be it. 3.) This is not first come first serve. I choose who I please. I want some amazing tribtues here, guys! 4.) I would like for people who's tributes get in to review. If you don't review, your tribute has a better chance of dying. 5.) When you give me your characters, you give me free will on them. I do whatever I please and they say whatever comes to mind. I'm sorry if you don't like that, it's just how I work. **_

_**Next: Go to my profile, and copy the tribute form. I would prefer if you use that one instead of one you make up on your own. **_

_**Finally: I want detailed profiles. Not just "Mary Sue's parents are dead, she's an orphan." But I want how her parents died, why she has no other family. Now, I don't want their life day by day, but important stuff, if that makes sense. **_

_**Now, let it begin! Only 1 spots left people! Get it while it's there!**_


	2. Bloody Roses

President Snow smiles evilly as he fingers the stem of the pure white rose he usually has on his desk. He has just finished watching the replays of the most current reapings.

He has to say, out of the games he's seen, it's going to be an interesting game. Not only because of the arena, but because of the variety of tributes there will be in the arena.

Blood will be spilled, no doubt about that, but the President doesn't mind. Though it's only his first year as President, he still thirsts for the blood. That's why he had he roses altered so they could give off the aroma of blood. Snow doesn't think his advisers care for it much, but he quite likes it.

President Snow flips off the television quickly, before going downstairs to his rose garden. People question his ability to govern a country at such a young age, but Snow knows what he's doing. He has planned to be president for years, and one petty politician from District 2 was going to stop him from it. Usually, the Capitol doesn't allow people from the districts to run for a higher up position like president, but for some odd reason, they were okay with it.

Once downstairs, his guards let him into the garden with no hesitation. He is the president, after all. Inside, Snow sucks in a deep breath, breathing in the smell. Many think he is odd for liking the smell of blood, but the rest of the Capitol has about the same blood thirst as he does.

The president plucks a few roses off the bushes, off all colors, magnificent purples, stunning blues, bright greens, and many more. He likes all the different colors because he believes that each color rose represents a different district. Whichever color smells the bloodiest is the district that usually loses. Currently, all of the outlying districts have a particularly bloody smell. Besides 6, they brought home their first Victor last year. Unfortunately, he died soon after getting home. Overdosed on pain medicine, though Snow doesn't know why he would still be in pain; the Games bring joy to the Capitol, so why not the districts?

Districts 1, 2, and 4 are currently the least bloody smelling. Since District 4 brought home their 3rd Victor, Mags Brine, there has been a rush to win in that district.

But, he doesn't know how this year's tributes will fare, as they are all going to be underground. President Snow wonders how Pyle thought of the labyrinth idea. It takes a genius, and last year's Gamemaker died unexpectedly from food poisoning after the Victor's banquet in the Capitol on the Victory Tour. Pyle must realize that because of last year's disappointment, that this year must be great.

Snow doesn't remember a time before the Games, as he was only one when the war raged on, but he does remember the election for the third president. He swore to himself that he was going to do whatever it took to win, and it took a lot. Meetings planned in private, secrets tossed around like they were nothing, and terminating of his advisors who didn't help and— his competitors, or course.

Life is like the Hunger Games. To win, you can't hide out in the shadows. You have to get out there and defeat and conjure people to win.

No bother though, if the evidence is hidden, you can't be blamed, Snow thinks with delight running through his veins.

He moves back to the roses, before plucking a few off and going back inside for his progress meeting with the Gamemakers.

"As you can see, the arena is pretty much done, we just have to work out a few glitches and add a few things." Pyle says, somewhat nervously. He can smell the blood from the President's rose.

"What kind of things?"

"Well, we are adding a few more obstacles in the labyrinth, along with some tricks that are designed to confuse the tributes further, sir."

"What tricks?" The president asks, leaning forward in his chair and raising his left eyebrow at Pyle.

"So far, we have some tricks that will make walls disappear, make it look like there are fountains filling with water, when in reality, it will be sand, or salt. And, one more that I think you'll like, Mr. President."

"Enlighten me on what you think this is."

Pyle pauses, as if to collect his thoughts, and glances towards the white rose in the President's lapel.

"We put a a hallway of roses in the arena, made to smell like food, so the tributes will come running towards it, but once they're in the hallway, the entrance and exit will close, effectively locking them in the room."

"Get to the part where it interests me."

"I'm getting there, sir." Pyle says frantically, before, "This interests you because I'm sure we all know you have a certain scent of roses. And, we designed these roses to smell like roses to the starved tributes, but, when they go to eat them, if they try, they will end up tasting blood."

A sickly smile stretches across the President's face.

"So what you're saying is that the roses will taste like blood?" The grin on Calixto Pyle's face slides off slightly at these words, but he nods. "Smart, Pyle. Very smart. May I make a suggestion?"

"It must be an easy one; the tributes will be going into the arena in a matter of days."

"Oh, yes, it is simple. I want the final fight to be on the surface, not underground. It can start underground, but it must finish above ground. The viewers need to be able to identify the people fighting, no?"

"Definitely, sir. They will finish the fight aboveground."

President Snow nods, before standing. "I think I'll be going. I'm sure you all have last minute adjustments to make to the arena."

As he leaves, he thinks about how much red is going to taint his ledger after years of plotting children's decease. He wonders if it really matters to him how much red is there. No, it doesn't, he decides, taking a big whiff of the white rose in his lapel, it doesn't matter because no matter how bloody it gets, he can always put the blood in the roses.

* * *

_ A/N: So I know the tributes aren't even in all the way, but I couldn't resist. So... Yeah._


	3. District 1 Reapings

District 1 Boy

"Jay, Jay, Jay, Jay!" Is the first thing Jay Himilton hears when he wakes up. His first instinct is to roll over on his face and not listen to the high-pitched voices chirping above him. Though, instead, he acts on his second instinct—something he never does—and opens his eyes to see three smiling young girls above him. Immediately, Jay's face breaks out in a smile before the youngest of the three girls, starts to giggle.

"And what are you giggling at? Hm?" Jay asks the young girl and she giggles some more, before Celia, the oldest, speaks for the younger one.

"Leslie's here!" Instantly, Jay's happy mood deflates. It's not that he doesn't like Leslie, he does, but not in the way they're displayed. When Leslie and Jay started dating, Jay did like her, but, as it kept dragging on and on and on, the feelings started to fade and new ones arose. Oh, the complications of a teenage boy's life.

Slowly, Jay drags himself out of the warm bed and pulls a shirt off of the floor, before sniffing it, shrugging, and pulling it over his head.

"You're gross, Jay." Celia giggles and Jay laughs, before holding the young girl by her ankles. She keeps giggling and he swings her around a little as the other two, Ella and Clarissa, cling on to his legs. As much as Jay would like to stay here and play with his siblings, he has matters to take care of. With Leslie.

"Okay, okay, let go, now you two." He chuckles at the two on his legs and drops Celia on his bed gently before having to pry Ella off of him.

"Will you play with us later?" Ella asks, two bottom teeth missing, and Jay smiles. No matter how much he may not like it, he's a complete softy when it comes to his siblings.

"Yes, of course I will." He says honestly, before thinking twice on his statement. Today's the Reaping, there's not chance he could get reaped. He was in the wealthy part of town, wealthier than most, due to his parent's jobs. But just because he's in the wealthy part of town, doesn't mean he won't get reaped. People would volunteer, right? No, not necessarily. Ever since District 1 has done horribly in the Games a couple years ago, no one has wanted to volunteer, due to the high risk of dying.

Even though Jay trains, it doesn't mean he actually wants to go into the Games. He just makes it seem like he does. That's the beauty of being able to conceal emotions.

Quickly, Jay swaggers down the stairs to where he can hear his parents laughing about something, probably something Jay did when he was younger. When Leslie gets sight of Jay, her face lights in a smile, and once again the guilty feeling arises again. Jay can't help his feelings; it's only natural to feel hormonal as a teenage boy. Or, not really a teenager anymore. More like a man.

"Your hairs a mess." She coos, before attempting to run her small hand through it. Jay guiltily lets her, but then pushes her away when he goes to grab an orange to eat before the Reaping later today.

* * *

Amethyst Hart watches the screen in her room as the District 4 girl is lifted out of the arena. _Eighth place, _she thinks dully. District 4 has not done well in the Games, and Amethyst hates it. Almost as much as she hates being called Amethyst. She goes by Amy, but her parents insist on calling her Amethyst. By the time she was seven, she stopped responding to it.

Her friends Dia and Emmy are also over, ranting about how District 4 has sucked in the last Games.

"Hey, Amy, are you going to volunteer?"

"Definitely." The seventeen year old girl in question exclaims brightly. Amy was born right as the Rebellion ceased. Literally, she was born as the Districts fell. She finds it as an omen that she is meant to win the Hunger Games and bring honor to her family and her district. She even thinks that she was born on the very day that the Hunger Games were created.

Usually, there isn't training on the morning of the Reaping, but today is for the top athletes in the classes for seventeen and eighteen year olds.

So Amy, Dia, and Emmy are hurry towards the Training Center before the class starts. They don't like tardiness.

The three girls hurry into the Center before the bell rings out. Luckily, they just have time to throw their bags in the locker room before they're set as tardy. Once the girls are situated in the gym, the trainers start to speak.

"Today is your final day of Training. We will be going around and watching. Ladies, if you do well enough, then it is your year to volunteer." An immense amount of whispering erupts around the room, but Amy looks furious._ She's_ supposed to be the one to volunteer. No one is taking that from her, not over her dead body.

Amy figures that she must impress the trainers, today. If not, they will choose another girl to volunteer and Amy will have to wait another year. Another year will not sit well with Amy Hart. She's ready now, she wants to volunteer now. Though most volunteers are eighteen, Amy does not care. She knows that it's her destiny to win the Games. There's no other option for her.

Moving out of home has been an issue for Amy. She is simply incapable of taking care of herself. Which is why that when she wins, people can take care of her.

Quickly, the trainer assigns each person someone to spar with, and Amy gets put with Amber, one of her closer friends. Amber gives her a wicked grin and Amy returns it, gray eyes sparkling, ready to start.

As soon as the whistle blows, Amy lunges at her friend, effectively knocking her to the ground. Amber has always been a bit of an airhead. But, she can fight back. Quickly, Amber rolls her around, until she's on top of Amy. Amy spits a hunk of crap from the back of her throat into Amber's face and she jumps off, as Amy quickly grabs her knifes and starts throwing them. Amber keeps dodging them, as they all plunge deeply into the wall.

Finally, Amy gives up on the knives, and moves to a sword. Though it isn't her forte, she uses it anyways. She uses the sword to kick Amber out from her feet and she falls as the knife is pointed downward on her throat, and Amy's foot is on the defenseless girl's chest. The two stay like that for a moment until the slow clap begins behind them.

"Looks like we have our volunteer."

* * *

"Leslie, slow down. We're not going to be late!" Jay groans as Leslie pulls him along beside him.

"I know that, silly."

"Then why are we getting there so early?"

"Because I want to get a good spot." She says as they fall into line to sign it.

"Wait, Les, are you planning to volunteer?" Even though Jay doesn't like Leslie like that, that doesn't mean that he doesn't care for her. She definitely wouldn't make it far in the Games. She's too fragile, petite, young. Only seventeen, but Jay guesses there have been younger tributes before. The mere thought of one of his younger siblings going into the Games does not make Jay like the Games anymore than he already does.

"Maybe, yeah. I didn't go to training this morning, so I don't know who I'm going to be up against." She muses, as she lets the Peacekeeper prick her finger with the needle. She waits for Jay as he gets his finger pricked, and then the two of them walk towards their sections.

"But, Leslie," He starts, trying to change her mind about going in.

"I'll come back, Jay. I can win this."

"No, no you can't Leslie." Jay mumbles, as two of his friends, Shane and Bella, assault him. Jay's heart gets faster when Bella starts to talk to him. Yes, that's right. Bella's the one that Jay got feelings for. He actually wants to date her, but obviously can't because of Leslie.

Shane claps him on the back and pulls him aside from the two girls.

"You going to volunteer?"

"God no." Jay replies, lowering his voice. "That's a stupid idea, stupider than some of my other ideas."

"But you're not stupid, idiot." It's true. Jay is the top in their class, not to mention the largest. No, he's not fat, he just resembles a bear.

"Shut up. Don't bug me about this." He finally spouts out, recovering quickly, as Leslie comes back over and pulls him along through the throng of people waiting to get in. Leslie chooses a spot close to the edge of her section, along with a few other hopefuls.

When the District escort, Vivian Vespa comes on the stage, a murmur of shock goes through the crowd. She's actually one of the more normal escorts, as opposed to that hideous creature who escorts 11. Today she's replaced her usual gold pantsuit for a gold dress, and has dyed her hair a bright pink, clashing horribly with her her dress. Even though she's normal, she's still not.

"Welcome, welcome! To the 17th Hunger Games!" The Mayor drones her out by starting his speech and Jay tunes that out, instead focusing on the back of Bella's head. Like him, she doesn't want to be in the Games. Her light brown hair is pulled up in some weird ponytail thing, and Jay likes it.

Before he knows what's going on, Vivian is reaching into the girl's bowl and pulling out a name, making a huge show of it as she walks back to the bowl, pink heels clicking on the ground.

"And our lucky tribute this year is-!" The name is drowned out by the one person screaming at her that she's volunteering. And it's not Leslie, no definitely not.

* * *

"I volunteer!" Amy shouts out before the escort can get the wretched name out. Surprisingly, the crowd lets her through. Though, the one person who looks disappointed and angry is _stupid_ Leslie Barker. Jay Himilton's girlfriend. Amy can't even describe how much she hates him.

Quickly, Amy races to the stage, and lands next to Vivian.

"Hello, District 1! I am Amethyst Hart, District 1's volunteer!" At first, the clapping is kept to a minimum, but then it gets louder. They must have heard about her amazing shot at winning the Games. She can hear some catcalls coming from the audience and Amy feels her face turn red. She doesn't like discomfort at all. So, she _clearly_ did not think the whole "volunteering" process through.

"Well, after that_ fabulous _display, I think it's time for the boys!" Vivian shrieks, immediately plummeting her hand into the bowl. Amy thinks that she's expecting another volunteer. Yeah, right.

"Jay Himilton!" Amy's shoulders and jaw drops. Why him? Him of all people, it had to be that stupid bastard? Amy's quick eyes find Jay in the crowd. He has on a determined smirk as he saunters up to the stage. Amy can see through it. He's terrified.

But, he doesn't show it. Amy can hear one of his many younger siblings screaming out his name, but she doesn't feel any remorse. All she feels is her heart pounding and the overwhelming urge to_ kill_ Jay. She wants to be the one to do it. She will be the one to do it, if anything happens in these Games, she will be the one to kill Jay Himilton.

* * *

_A/N: So I'm sorry this took forever, but it's up! Also, I don't really care that much for reapings, so they most likely will all be about this lenght. If I displayed your character wrongly, PM me and tell me how I can change it! Remember, if you don't review, your tributes gets out pretty quickly. Hope y'all liked it!_


	4. District 2 Reapings

**Monroe Palace:**

"Dude! Get your ass down here!" Monroe hears his older brother call from downstairs. Crane won the Hunger Games five years ago, and ever since he won, everyone in the District is expecting Monroe to follow in his footsteps.

Monroe pounds down the stairs to find his brother staring at the television, his Games on the screen. Not that Monroe doesn't mind seeing his brother rip out the vocal chords of the girl from 12, he is just tired of seeing over and over again.

"Oh man I miss it. I'd love to get another shot at glory." Crane grunts, and then turns to Monroe still standing watching the television. "You're gonna volunteer, right bud?" It's Monroe's last year to be in the reaping.

"Of course I am. Gotta go out with a bang, don't I?" Crane grins, and playfully shoves his brother as he stands to go grab an apple.

"Crane, don't you have to be at the reaping early?" Crane's wife, Sonnet, says, coming down the stairs putting in some earrings. Monroe groans. Sonnet has always been one of those people, the ones who always have to be on time and in charge.

"Yeah, yeah, lemme eat first," Crane says, munching on his apple.

"Excuses, excuses.." Sonnet trails off, and Crane grins. There's a side of Crane that Monroe only sees when he's with Sonnet. Gentler, calmer. Monroe wonders if that's what love does to you. He wouldn't know, Monroe's too good to be tied down to just one girl.

There's a knock on the door, and Monroe walks to get it. Anything to get away from Sonnet and her punctuality. As soon as the door is open, Monroe's attacked. Three of his closest friends, Leo, Ziv and Livia, are practically beating him to the ground.

"You gotta get to the square, now." Leo bellows in Monroe's ear.

"Dude, I need my hearing." Monroe grumbles, shoving Leo into a wall.

"Fine, fine, but you gotta come!"

"What's going on?" Monroe asks as he closes the door behind him.

"Silas is here." Livia responds and Monroe lets a laugh out of him. Silas is the district escort. He's a bit.. Feminine. Always has been, always will be. Silas is always dressed in the weirdest things, and acts even weirder. Monroe has no clue how Crane can stand to be around him when he's in the Capitol. Just seeing him once at the reaping is enough for Monroe.

The group travels down the cobbled street to the square, when Silas can be found. Monroe nearly chokes air when he gets a glimpse of him.

"My god." Ziv breathes and Leo chortles. Silas is in some sort of bright green suit. His hair this year is striped red and white and sticks straight up. "It's like Christmas came early."

"He looks like an elf." Livia laughs into her hand.

"That he does, Livia." Oh, and his shoes are pointed.

* * *

Mercedes Cooper

The girl grin as the axe sinks into the dummy, fake blood squirting everywhere. Currently, the gym is littered with dummies and covered in fake blood. Mercedes Cooper looks down. She's covered in fake blood. Oh hooray, she thinks to herself.

Quickly, Mercedes run to the showers and jumps in, scrubbing the blood off. Unfortunately, the red of the blood stays in her golden hair, giving it a red-ish tinge. That annoys her greatly. The day Mercedes' is going to go to the Hunger Games and she look like a ginger.

She dries off and pulls on different clothes. Mercedes can change back home, or what's going to get as close to home as it can get.

See, Mercedes' father was running for President against President Snow. He and her mother went to the Capitol to campaign and they never came back. At first, Mercedes thought it was just post-election stuff, congratulating the winner, etc. etc. But after two months and they still hadn't come back, she began to wonder what had happened to them.

The people say they died in a train crash on the way back, but she know better. Mercedes' doubts they even got to the train. She doesn't know, though. She just has that feeling, that horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Mercedes' shakes it off, but not soon enough, as she runs into the back-door, leaving a good-sized knot on her forehead. Lovely. That's just great.

Anyways, she races upstairs to the room she shares with her best friend Genevieve. When the Cooper parents didn't come back, people wanted to put Mercedes' in the orphanage. Mercedes put up a fight. Basically, she refused to go down without a fight, and ended up scratching a few people and hurting the rest of them.

Genevieve's family took Mercedes in, legally adopting me. She's glad they did, but still wishes her parents were here. She's holding onto the hope that they are still alive, but there's that feeling.

Genevieve is showering, so Mercedes pulls on her reaping clothes. Plain yellow dress. Pull my hair up. Shove feet into shoes. Finally, she comes out.

"Well it took you long enough."

"Shut up." She says, shoving me slightly as Mercedes cackles at her. The two girls link arms and travel downstairs, where Genevieve's family waits. The twins, Oliver and Aaron, are wrestling on the ground, despite their mother's protests. Genevieve and Mercedes lock eyes and then make a split second decision. Mercedes grabs Oliver, and Genevieve grabs Aaron, holding the five year olds upside-down from their feet.

"Oh you think that's funny, do you?" Mercedes laughs as Oliver grins and giggles. Finally, the girls get scolded and they put the young children down. Quickly, Mercedes shovels some food down her throat and grabs some orange juice. Where she lives is better off than other places in the district, and she couldn't be happier. The foster care is in one of the crappiest places in the district, which Mercedes finds completely ironic considering the children are supposed to be living well.

"God, Mercedes, slow down." Genevieve snorts into her juice and Mercedes swats her again.

"I need my energy, don't I? I'll have to fight for that stage!"

"Oh, yeah. You're volunteering." Genevieve isn't too crazy about the idea of Mercedes going into the Games. Yeah, Mercedes can be a whiz with an axe, but think about it. Her chances of living are low. She's small. Thin.

"What, don't think I can do it?" Mercedes jokes, nudging Genevieve's ribs with her elbow.

"No, that's not it, but still." Genevieve starts, but trails off as she realizes that Mercedes isn't even listening to her anymore, instead listening for the gong to call everyone to the reaping.

* * *

"Welcome, welcome!" Silas squeaks, his voice high pitched, much like an elf would. Monroe groans as the blood is drawn from his finger. He's only heard two words from him and he's already annoyed. Monroe follows Leo and Ziv to the eighteen section as Livia goes to her section.

Monroe catches Sonnet's eye behind him and she mimics gagging. He has to bite his lip to keep from laughing at her face. When he looks up at Crane, he's glaring at the back of Silas' head and winks at Monroe.

Turning back to Leo and Ziv, Silas starts talking again, this time about some video from the Capitol that Monroe can quote.

"War, terrible war," He murmurs and Ziv snickers next to him. As eligible children continue to hurry into the section, Monroe gets many claps on the back and some good lucks.

Finally, the video ends and Silas squeaks again. "That makes me tingle every time!" Monroe can feel the bile rising to his throat. God, Silas repulses Monroe. The mayor of 2 comes to the stage and reads some long thing that no one ever pays attention too, and then Silas makes a comment about how the district gets prettier and prettier every time and the ground collectively groans.

He does this every year. He'll babble incoherently about some random thing until the mayor tells him it's time to get on with it. Silas gets crazier and crazier every year.

"First, we'll start with the girls!" He chirps and skips to the bowl. Quickly and artfully, he swirls his hand around in the giant bowl before pulling out the slip. Glancing over to the girls, Monroe can see Livia bouncing on the soles of her feet waiting to jump for it.

"Mercedes Cooper!" Instantly, and uproar. The girl in question scrambles to get to the stage, along with Livia. Closer to the stage, Mercedes whats-her-face ends up breaking Livia's nose to get to the stage.

"And who might you be?" Silas asks Mercedes and she pauses to catch her breath.

"Mercedes Cooper, the chosen one, of course!" She grins out at the audience and Monroe rolls his eyes as Peacekeepers escort Livia out of the square.

"And now, for the boys!" This is when Monroe moves closer to the rope to get to the front. People let him by. He doesn't even hear the name before he explodes.

"I volunteer!" Monroe bellow, hurrying to the stage before anyone else has anytime to think.

"And you are?" Monroe scrunches his nose at being in close proximity to Silas. He clearly did not think this through.

"I'm sure you all know who I am." Monroe winks at the audience and two girls swoon. "I'm Monroe Palace!" The crowd breaks out in cheering and Monroe gives a slight bow. Mercedes on the other hand, looks a little ticked off that she was shown up at the Reaping.

When the crowd finally quiets, Silas instructs for the two tributes to shake hands. Both try to break each other's fingers. "I give you, District 2's lucky tributes for the 17th Hunger Games, Mercedes Cooper and Monroe Palace!" There's more cheering and then the two tributes are brought inside.

As soon as they are out of sight of the public, Mercedes immediately turns and pins Monroe to the wall. Silas shrieks, but the two tributes don't pay attention to him. "If you think I'm just some googly-eyed schoolgirl, then you're wrong. I will not fall for your charm. I am not going down without a fight. Get that in your thick head, Palace." She hisses, and realeases him from the wall. Monroe grins at the back of her head. If a fight is what she wants, Monroe thinks, then a fight is what she'll get.

* * *

_So this took forever. I'm going to try to get back to this because I really want to get to the actual games. Sigh. I'm already getting attached to the tributes. It's a shame that I'll have to kill them off in the end._

_Anyways, review! If I didn't portray your tribute right, let me know and I'll fix it! Again, if you don't review, expect death for your tribute!_


	5. District 3 Reapings

**Fred Blackwell: **

One Month Ago:

_"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back up. So you two," Fred pauses to gesture in between his younger sister and best friend, "are _dating_?!" Erica, his younger sister, has a guilty look on her face as it turns bright red. Lucas, on the other hand, rubs the back of his neck awkwardly._

_"Guilty," Erica finally says and Fred lets out a breath. Never in a million years did he think his younger sister would end up with his best friend. Nope, never thought about that._

_"And I'm just finding out about this now?" Fred demands, eyes flickering between the couple._

_"Well we didn't exactly want to tell you yet, because we knew you'd overreact." Erica mumbles, brown eyes diverting from Fred to the ground._

_Fred is quiet for a moment as he tries to process what he's just heard. Finally, when he does, he feels angry. "Lucas. A word." Lucas groans and stands up from the old couch, giving Erica a look as if to say 'I told you so'. Lucas follows Fred outside into the backyard and Fred paces for a moment in front of him._

_"Did you honestly think that I was going to be okay with this?" Fred finally asks, glaring at Lucas, "She's my sister, for God's sake!"_

_"I know that!" Lucas starts, but Fred cuts him off quickly._

_"And did you think that your sister was going to be okay with it, either?" Lucas' younger sister is Erica's best friend. Honestly she can't be fine with this._

_"We haven't exactly told her either!" Lucas counters back, and Fred groans._

_"Were you going to even tell me?" Fred argues, staring down Lucas._

_"Well.. Not now, at least." Lucas finally grunts, looking at the ground._

_Fred rolls his eyes and has an inner conversation with himself. "You know what, I'm just going to pretend that I'm perfectly fine with this and not completely appalled by it." He jabs Lucas in the chest. "But I swear, if you hurt my sister, there's going to be some problems."_

_"Dude, I know. I get it." Lucas says quickly, raising his hands in surrender._

"Fred, are you getting ready?" Fred's mother calls down the hallway. No, not really. Fred's working on a computer chip that's due today that he hasn't even started. He's been fiddling with this stupid wire for at least an hour and still can't figure out where it goes. Fred's pretty good with his hands, so he has no problem getting the chip together, it's just the one last wire that he can't figure out where it goes.

"Uh, sure mom!" Quickly, Fred throws on a gray t-shirt and some shorts, hoping that his mother doesn't send him right back upstairs to change. Fred quickly shoves the wire where he assumes it goes, and hopes for the best. Hurrying down the stairs, Fred tiptoes past his mother to the kitchen to grab something to eat. The cupboards are a little emptier than usual, which is why Fred is turning in his chip today, because his family needs the money to get food.

"Fred, what on earth are you wearing?" His mother asks, pausing from washing a few dishes.

"Uh," Fred says with his mouth full of bread, "Clothes?"

"Go change, today's the Reaping, for Pete's sake." Fred swallows his bread and trudges back down the hallway to his room. On the way, his sister, Erica, comes out and stares at her brother.

"Are you honestly wearing that? You look like a bum." Fred groans. Leave it to Erica to speak her mind.

"Yeah, yeah I know. I'm going to change now." Fred walks into his room and throws on a nicer shirt and a nicer pair of shorts while tying his beaten up shoes. Fred shoves the chip into his pocket and bids his family goodbye before hurrying to the place where he works. It's in the poorer part of the district, but Fred doesn't really mind. If it gets money, he's fine with it.

Once in the building, Fred checks in and quickly turns in the chip along with the rest of the people working. Fred started working earlier than everyone else, considering he was better with his hands. All of the other chips that have been turned in aren't the best looking, so Fred thinks he has a pretty good chance with this one.

The factory is crowded and it's tight on electricity and money. The lights start to flicker as Fred walks to his station for the morning. He didn't sign up for the shift right before the reaping, but his manager did. Fred won't miss the reaping, much to his dismay, but he'll arrive in the square right on time. Fred sighs and begins to do his job for the morning. He has to set the computer chips in place in the computers that they're producing for the Captiol. It gets very repetitive after a while.

Fred doesn't even pay attention to what he's doing, his mind strays as his hands work on the computers on their own accord. He wonders what two children will have to die this year. District 3 hasn't had a victor since the 11th Hunger Games, and that was 6 years ago. District 3 just isn't prone to winning these type of things. Fred hopes that the kids won't be anyone he knows. That just makes it so much worse watching it.

Shaking the thought out of his head, Fred continues his work slowly as the lights flicker again. They'll go out any minute, Fred thinks to himself, they always do. Just as Fred thought, the lights go completely out and it's pitch black in the factory for a couple minutes. When the generator finally kicks in, a collective breath is heard in the factory. The conditions in the factory have gotten worse over the past couple of months. One of Fred's coworkers told the rest of them that the Capitol is cutting funds for the factories because more money is going to Districts 1, 2, and 4.

Fred mumbles under his breath to himself. He just wants this day to be over. He just wants to be back home with his family, knowing that he's safe for another year.

* * *

**Erica Blackwell:**

After Fred leaves to go to work, I trudge into the small kitchen in our house and find some oatmeal. Hopefully Fred will bring in some money today because we're running low on everything right now.

"Good morning, sweetie." My mom says and I give her a smile. It's not a good morning. Not today. Any other day would be good, but today's the reaping.

"Morning." Erica replies, stirring her lukewarm oatmeal before taking a bite. It's quiet in the kitchen as Erica's mother sits down across from Erica.

"I know you're scared, Erica, but-"

"I'm not scared, Mom. My chance of being reaped is low. I only have five or six slips in there. I'll check the list when we go up there."

"You might not be scared, but I'm terrified. This is one of Fred's last times to be in the reaping. He'll only have one more year after this. Do you know how stressful that is as a parent? You're both so close to being done with the reaping, but there's still that chance that..." Erica's mother trails off, but Erica knows exactly what she's talking about. There's still a chance that one of them could be reaped today. If Fred is reaped, then he won't make it. Erica hates to say it, but she knows it's true. Fred isn't exactly the best at fighting. He's always been a coward. Erica stands up for him most of the time.

"I know, Mom. I get it. We'll be fine." Erica tries to reassure her mother, as herself. Erica stands and washes her bowl before trudging back to her room slowly, and collapsing onto the bed. Erica is exhausted. She couldn't sleep last night, because she knew today was the reaping, and she knew that she was gonna be in it again. Erica ends up falling asleep again and she's awoken by Fred twenty minutes before the reaping.

"You know, Fred, you could have just knocked on my door instead of jumping on me."

Fred snickers. "Well what's the fun in that?" Erica shoves Fred and he grins. The family of four walks to the old square, where Erica hurries and checks the list to see how many slips her family members have.

Back at her family, Erica relays her information. "I have seven slips, Fred has ten. Lucas has nine and Emma and Rose both have six." Emma and Rose are Erica's best friends. Emma's brother is Lucas, Erica's boyfriend, but, like Fred, she was fine with the two of them dating after a while.

"Good odds." Erica's father murmurs, and gives the two children hugs before sending them to the check in line. Looking back, Erica can see her father consoling her mother.

"Mom is terrified." Fred notes, and Erica nods quickly.

"She's so scared. But we won't get reaped. The odds actually are in our favor." Fred slowly nods, but Erica knows he doesn't think so. No one is really safe from the reaping. A couple years ago, the Mayor's son and daughter were both reaped and they're the wealthiest family in the district. They made it pretty far but both died when their skulls were crushed in the final eight. The Mayor hasn't been the same since.

Erica shakes the thought out of her head as she continues to wait in line. She sees Emma and Rose already in the fifteen section, which means that Lucas is here as well. After Erica's blood is taken, Erica gives her two friends a quick hello, and goes to find Lucas. He's doing to same and they run into each other. Lucas gives Erica a tight hug, which makes her heartbeat go crazy. Emma and Rose are mimicking vomiting and Erica glares back at them as they collapse into giggles.

"You okay?" Lucas asks Erica gently and she nods.

"I'm fine. You?"

He shakes his head. "I have a really bad feeling about today. I dunno. I just have this feeling." Erica waves it off and he pecks her lips.

"It'll be fine. C'mon, there are a ton of people in this district who have way more slips than you, or me, or anyone in our family. There are thousands of slips in the bowl. We'll be fine." He nods slowly and pecks her lips again as the Mayor calls for everyone to pay attention. Erica hurries back to her section and glances back at her brother, who looks pretty scared himself.

The Mayor's dull voice floats across everyone and Erica tunes him out, instead wringing her hands. When the District 3 escort (who Erica doesn't know the name of) gets onto the stage and starts to explain how happy she is to be there, Erica and her friends all link hands. It's been a tradition for them on reaping day. It's gotten them through a few years, and it's gonna get them through this one. Or, Erica hopes it will.

"Ladies first, as usual!" The woman's heels click on the slate stage as she walks to the giant glass bowl with the slips. Her hand barely grazes the top of the bowl before she plucks out a slip and hurries back to the microphone. Unfolding the slip, the escort moistens her lips before calling out the girl. "Erica Blackwell!"

Erica is frozen. She can't move. She knows her two friends are staring at her. They've released her hands. Erica is stunned, and shocked and now openly terrified. "Erica Blackwell? Where are you, dear?" Erica still doesn't move. She can't. She's fighting back tears and she swallows thickly as Peacekeepers finally find her and grab her arm roughly, pulling her out of the line of girls.

Erica takes a shaky breath and climbs the large steps of the Justice Building slowly. When she mounts the stage, she takes a shaking breath. Her eyes meet her mothers, and it's like a giant slap in the face for Erica. She told her mother that she wouldn't be reaped and here she is. Going to her death. I'm going to die, Erica thinks dully as the escort asks for volunteers. Of course, there's no one that calls. Erica's eyes meet Lucas's and she really tries not to cry. He looks so defeated. Erica's so lost in her thoughts that she misses the boy who will also die with her. Lucas's wide eyes and dropped jaw gives it away.

The next thing Erica knows is that her brother is running up to the stage. Fred was reaped with her. His arms wrap tight around her and he doesn't let go. He's openly weeping but Erica knows that she won't cry. Not now, at least.

"Oh so you two are brother and sister? That's lovely!" Erica can't move. She still can't. "Well I am glad to announce our tributes for this year: Fred and Erica Blackwell!"

And then Erica and her brother are shoved into the Justice Building without a second glance back.

* * *

_A/N: There's District 3. I'm going to be trying to get these up faster now because I want to get to the Games. Thoughts on these tributes?_


	6. District 4 Reapings

**Destin Rios:**

"Destin Rios, get in here now!" The young thirteen year old boy sighs before standing from the small cove in his backyard. That's one of the things Destin loves about District 4. All of the water. He loves the ocean. It helps him get away from everything at home. And there's a _lot_ going on at home.

He quickly runs the towel down his legs and drops the spear in his hands to the ground. Destin rushes into the house and accidentally slams the backdoor, cringing.

"Destin, what have I told you about slamming doors?" His stepmother yells across the hallway as Destin trudges into the small kitchen. Ever since his dad died, Meredith, his stepmother, has been taking over his life. Who he talks to. Where he goes. Everything. And it doesn't help that Destin is now taking terresee for the family.

Destin's father was one of the rich men in District 4. When Destin's mother died, Destin's father started drinking. A lot. He drowned himself in sorrows. He was drunk when he married the evil stepmom, Meredith. When he died in the boating accident, his family lost everything. Meredith was unable to keep up the funds for the family and forced Destin to take out much more terresee than his sister. Myra is able to train, and gets most of the attention. Destin goes to school, and then comes home and works. He cooks, he cleans, he does everything.

"That I shouldn't do it and that it ruins the doorframes." Destin drones on, rolling his eyes behind her back.

"Good, Destin. Now, back to what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Meredith, can this wait? I should really get back to fishing. All the fish will keep moving on in the stream." Meredith's eyes flash quickly, but then they go back to the normal sea-green.

"This really can't wait. I've decided to enroll you into the Training Center. Since your sister has a very good chance of winning, I think that we can afford to enroll you."

"Wait, are you serious?" All that Destin's ever wanted was to be a Career. It's what his mom wanted, and it's what he'll do. He's always wanted to make her happy.

"Yes, I am. You start tomorrow, after the Reaping." Destin stands behind her back, pumping his fist into the air. He stops abruptly and gives Meredith a sweet smile when she turns around. "What are you still standing there for? Go get fish!"

* * *

Miryam Irvin is not a nice person. Miryam Irvin is not someone that you want to mess with.

The tall and lanky eighteen year old girl swims through the ocean, faster than the speed of lightning and nearly invisible as the wind. She touches the red water marker and races back to the shore. When she finally pulls herself out of the water, she sees that her competitor is still swimming back.

"Y'know, Meri, you said that you were gonna go easy on me." Tyna, Meri's best friend, pants when she crawls up the shore.

"Yeah, that was going easy." She grins and her friend plops down next to her before grabbing the water bottle in between them. She chugs about half of it before handing it to Meri.

"I'd love to see what going hard on someone is." Tyna says, laying back onto the wet sand. Meri stays sitting up, and watches the sun rise higher into the sky with every moment.

"Hey, Tyna?"

"Hm?" The girl asks, closing her eyes and putting her hands behind her head.

"You know that I am going to volunteer today, right?" Meri asks, and the other girl nods.

"That's all you've been talking about since we were sixteen. I know you are. Does your family know?"

Meri nods. "They've always wanted me to volunteer and win. My parents have been pushing me since I was twelve, telling me to bide my time and that my day will come. That's today."

Tyna and Meri stand. They have to prepare for the Reaping. "See you in a couple of hours." Tyna says, pulling her pack over her shoulders.

"Yeah. Tell your brother I said hi." Tyna nods and disappears over the sand dune. Meri races down the beach for a moment before she turns onto the road.

Meri hurries down the cobbled streets to her home. Her family lives close to the beach, next to a fisherman's family. Her family doesn't fish though, they sell shells. Meri's brother, Muir, is wonderful at collecting shells. He always finds the best shells.

When Meri enters her house, Muir is in the kitchen stringing together shells. She ruffles down his hair.

"Stop it, Meri." He says, focusing on his work. He's three years younger than Meri, But he's already at least 5'10". He's freakishly tall.

"You know I love you, Muir." Meri says, biting into an apple. He glances at her.

"You better get ready. Mom and Dad are freaking out saying how they have to take pictures and what not." Meri snorts, but hurries up the stairs anyways. She finishes her apple and then hops in the shower.

Once out, she towel dries her hair and lets it fall normally. The short hair will wave eventually. She pulls on a dark blue dress and stares at herself. Meri hates dressing up. If she could, she'd wear shorts and a t-shirt for eternity.

Meri hears her parents calling her, and she races down the stairs, pulling her flats on as she goes. When she appears in the living room, her mother nearly cries.

"Oh Meri." She says, tears pooling in her eyes. "You're going to make a great Victor."

"Thanks, Mom." Meri says as her father snaps a picture. This is a tradition for the Irvin Family. Every year before the reaping, Aberdeen and Nerissa Irvin take at least thrity pictures of their children. This one is monumental, considering Meri is going to volunteer.

* * *

Destin waits in line along with his sister. She's planning to volunteer, even though she's only fifteen. Usually it's the older kids who try. Personally, Destin thinks that her leg is gonna get broken trying to get up there.

His finger is pricked and he hurries to his spot, avoiding the looks of everyone. Destin doesn't have many friends. He has only one friend, and that's Jo. Jo's practically his sister. They've done everything together. Meredith doesn't care for Jo, saying she's a bad influence on Destin, but really Meredith herself is a bad influence.

Jo waves to him from across the square. Her uneven teeth form a smile and Destin tries to send one back her way. He's just nervous, so it probably looks like a grimace.

Meanwhile, Meri's being pressed up against the wall to a building by her boyfriend, Corbin. He nips at her neck and she moans in response. Her fingers tangle into his hair. Corbin presses kisses up her collarbone and neck.

"Corbin," Meri forces out, pushing him away slightly. "We're gonna be late." He drops his forehead to hers.

"But I like kissing you." He complains, attempting to kiss her again, but she stops him.

"There's plenty more coming your way after the Reaping," Meri teases, winking at her boyfriend. He laughs and slowly follows her. He walks with a limp. There was a training accident one day and that was the end of training for Corbin. He can hardly walk now, so training with a sword was out of the question.

The couple are the last two to sign in. Corbin squeezes Meri's hand before hurrying to the eighteen section. Meri hurries to the eighteen year old girls waiting for her. Tyna smiles at her and raises her eyebrow.

"Yes, I was with Corbin." Meri mumbles as their District escort is going on and on about something.

"Yeah, I know. I could tell. Your hair's pretty messed up." Meri frowns and straightens her hair, watching her friend smirk at her. Both girls turn their attention to the stage.

Destin stares at giant bowl. He has a lot of slips. The escort grabs the girls name and hurries back to the mike before announcing a name that he misses. A few girls hurry from the older sections and race to the stage. A girl that Destin has never seen before is the one who finally wins. Miryam something-or-other.

Because Destin's so close to the stage, being thirteen, he can see her face. She's tall, with green eyes and wavy, short hair. She's pretty, he'll say that. He can't help it, he's a hormonal young boy.

When he hears his name being called, he can only stand there, hoping someone will volunteer. But no one comes forward. Destin mechanically forces his feet to move. Once he's on the stage, he can hear his step mother scoffing.

"Well? Isn't anyone going to volunteer?" There's no movement. Destin's eyes find Jo's in the crowd and she mouths 'sorry' to him. He shrugs a little. The young boy doesn't feel anything. He feels numb. He doesn't hear the escort telling them to shake hands. He doesn't move until he's forced to shake hands with the pretty girl. He walks slowly into the Justice Building.

Then, he faints.

* * *

_A/N: I know this one's shorter, but that's okay. It'll be made up for in the goodbyes. Thoughts on these two?_


End file.
